Easy Miso Soup Recipe (2024)

Miso Soup is the original health food, it’s an easy, umami rich soup recipe made with fermented bean paste that has been nourishing the Japanese for centuries ~ and you can make this delicious vegan soup for yourself in just minutes!

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (1)

What is miso soup?

Miso is an ancient Japanese seasoning paste made from fermented soybeans (and sometimes rice or barley.) It’s got that salty, umami flavor that distinguishes so many Japanese dishes like this classic miso soup.

3 major types of miso

Miso comes in many varieties, each having a unique flavor, aroma, color, and texture; here are the main categories you’re likely to see in your grocery store ~

  • white or shiro miso is the mildest. It’s made with fermented soy beans and rice and the color is pale yellow.
  • yellow or shinshu misohas a mild flavor that is stronger than white but mellower than red miso, and is mostly made with fermented soy beans and barley. The color is light brown.
  • red or aka miso is the strongest flavored of all, also mostly made from fermented rice and barley, and is darker in color.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (2)

Japanese soup is one of the healthiest foods you can eat

It’s also one of the easiest meals to prepare. Miso soup was one of the first things I cooked for myself when I was in college. It’s a staple in Japan, and you’ve probably had it in Japanese restaurants. The soup is basically a thin miso infused broth, and when you get it in restaurants it usually has very little in it, maybe a slice or two of scallion floating around. But it can also made heartier with tofu, mushrooms, seaweed, green onions, and potatoes, among other things.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (3)

Where to find Miso paste

Miso is sold fresh, and most large grocery store chains carry it nowadays. Look for it in the refrigerated section, usually near the wonton wrappers, tofu, etc.

Miso is a biologically active, living food, like yogurt.

Cooking destroys some of its beneficial bacteria and can change the flavor.

When you cook with miso you’ll usually add it at the very end, once the pot is taken off the heat, so you don’t destroy the nutrients.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (4)

Use a variety of mushrooms in this soup

Making miso soup gives you the perfect excuse to experiment with some of the exotic, loose mushroom varieties you always pass by when you’re doing your grocery shopping. Their delicate flavor will take center stage in such a simple dish, and you don’t need to buy many, so the cost won’t be prohibitive. I bought baby button sh*take and a variety called Beech mushrooms: tiny little brown or white mushrooms come clustered on one large stem or stalk. You’ll find them in plastic packaging in the mushroom section.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (5)

What to eat with miso soup

  • Miso soup is a complete meal in itself, especially when you add protein rich tofu. But we love to pair our soup with a big bowl of steaming hot edamame (soy) beans showered in sea salt.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (6)

Miso is a healthy instant soup!

  • Miso soup can be made as quickly as any instant soup, but is so much healthier for you.
  • It’s a perfect soothing hydrator when you have a cold or flu, and so much quicker and easier to make than chicken soup.
  • In Japan it’s believed to have powerful health giving properties (including fighting the Big C.)

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (7)

I’ve been cooking with miso since I was in college and I love it. You can find lots more miso inspiration on the blog, just search Miso. And if you’re intrigued and want to learn more, see my How To Use Miso post, it has lots of useful info and serving suggestions.

Other recipes using miso paste ~

  • Miso Alphabet Soup
  • Miso Broth with Shrimp Dumplings
  • Miso Ramen with sh*take and Chicken
  • Spring Vegetable Salad with Miso Dressing

Reader Rave ~

“Very easy and the best miso soup I’ve ever had. I added a little bit of crispy onions when I served it (similar to what happens at Japanese Hibachi restaurants). I can’t wait to make it again.” ~Mary

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (8)

Miso Soup

3.66 from 149 votes

Miso Soup is the original health food, it's an easy, umami rich soup recipe made with fermented bean paste that has been nourishing the Japanese for centuries ~ and you can make this delicious super food soup for yourself in just minutes!

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Prep Time:10 minutes minutes

Total Time:10 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 cups water (you can also use part vegetable or chicken stock if you like)
  • 4 Tbsp Miso paste
  • 1 cup firm tofu, cut in small cubes (use more if you like)
  • 2 cups assorted mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 or 5 scallions, sliced thin (use all of the white and a little of the green)

Instructions

  • Heat the stock and water to a simmer and add the mushrooms and tofu. Simmer for a couple of minutes to cook the mushrooms.

  • When you're ready to serve, add the scallions and take the pan off the heat.

  • In a small bowl, whisk the miso with 1/4 cup of the hot broth to form a paste. Stir it back into the broth, and serve.

Notes

  • Use yellow or white miso for a milder flavor...this is perfect if you are new to miso, or cooking for kids.
  • Use any type of stock you like in place of the water.
  • Add any thinly sliced veggies you like, including bok choy, carrots, or broccoli. Just be sure to simmer the vegetables until tender before you add the miso.

NEW FEATURE! Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Japanese

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: fermented, healthy, Japanese, miso, soup

Nutrition

Serving: 1 cup · Calories: 67 kcal · Carbohydrates: 6 g · Protein: 6 g · Fat: 3 g · Saturated Fat: 1 g · Sodium: 427 mg · Potassium: 148 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 90 IU · Vitamin C: 2 mg · Calcium: 64 mg · Iron: 1 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

Did You Make This?We love seeing what you've made! Tag us on social media at @theviewfromgreatisland for a chance to be featured.

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (9)

Easy Miso Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the general rule with miso? ›

With thousands of master miso makers across Japan, miso forms a rich culture and can be thought of like beer in that each region of Japan has a slightly different flavour, strength, colour, and taste of miso. As a general rule, the darker the miso, the longer it has been fermenting and the stronger the taste will be.

What is the ratio of miso paste to water? ›

I usually do a ratio of 1 tablespoon of miso to 1 to 1½ cups water." As for white kind of miso to use? Both Leone and Sullivan like sweet white miso for a mellow-tasting soup. "Many restaurants use red misos," Sullivan says, adding that yellows are more earthy.

How to make miso soup without killing the probiotics? ›

To avoid cooking off the lactic acid when making miso soup, you can make sure to turn off the heat and cool the pot until 120°F-158°F (50C°-70°C) (the probiotics will die above 158°F/70°C). But most Japanese people don't take an exact temperature reading and turn off the heat when adding miso to the pot.

What can I add to miso soup to make it taste better? ›

I especially like making miso salad dressing. And of course, soup! In mine i add shiitake mushrooms, dried seaweed, tofu and some kind of green like bok choy. throw in some bean sprouts at serving time.

What happens if you eat too much miso soup? ›

It depends on how much and which kind of miso paste is used to make the soup. If you buy packaged miso soup, compare and read labels to see how much sodium is in a single serving. Eating too much sodium can raise your risk of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

What are the 7 phases of miso? ›

The joint MISO process consists of seven phases: planning; target audience analysis (TAA); series development; product development and design; approval; production, distribution, dissemination; and evaluation. Each of these phases is designed to apply to any type or level of operation.

Can you just add boiling water to miso paste? ›

To preserve the beneficial bacteria – stir the miso paste into your cup of hot water instead of pouring boiling water over the miso as high heat can destroy the healthful bacteria; this simple technique will help ensure you get maximum “nu*tritional bang for your bite.”

Is it OK to drink miso soup everyday? ›

Miso soup is low calorie, low fat, and high in nutrient content, so it is safe to eat daily. However, it does have a high salt content. So, those on blood thinning medication or who have heart problems (including high blood pressure and heart disease) may want to limit their consumption of miso soup.

How healthy is miso soup? ›

Strengthens immune system: The probiotics in miso soup also reduce the production of bad bacteria, improve blood circulation and ultimately boost your immune system. Probiotic-rich diets can also help you recover from infections faster and reduce the need for antibiotics.

Is miso soup a natural laxative? ›

Miso improves your digestion

Having a healthy gut flora is very important because it helps defend your body against toxins and harmful bacteria. It also improves digestion and reduces gas, constipation and antibiotic-related diarrhea or bloating ( 6 , 8 , 9 ).

Why can't you boil miso? ›

Boiling miso can harm the probiotic bacteria. At temperatures above 115 degrees Fahrenheit these delicate bacteria are destroyed. We recommend adding miso paste to soups just prior to serving.

Why does my miso soup taste like nothing? ›

If your miso soup tasted off, perhaps it was missing some dashi. And don't worry just yet. If you are trying to be plant-based and you have concerns about eating dashi that has fish products in it, you can actually make the vegetarian kind, which is made with mushrooms and/or kombu.

What settles at the bottom of miso soup? ›

What is in Miso Soup? Miso soup's base is a broth called dashi that is made from strips of dried kelp (kombu) and dried smoked bonito flakes (katsuobushi). Miso, a salty fermented soybean paste, provides that savoriness called umami as it's whisked into the broth, giving it a cloudy appearance that settles as it sits.

How to doctor up miso soup? ›

If you love a vibrant taste, use your miso soup as the foundation on which you build other great flavors. Add ingredients like mushrooms, red and green peppers, edamame, onions, leeks and other vegetables. The combination of such foods thickens the broth and benefits more than your tastebuds.

What is the best miso paste for miso soup? ›

Choosing miso paste for miso soup

I recommend making this recipe with white miso, also called shiro miso. It's fermented for less time than darker types of miso, such as red miso, and has a milder, sweeter flavor that works well with this miso to dashi ratio.

What is the basis of miso? ›

The base ingredients of miso are soybeans, rice, and salt. Rice koji is made by adding koji-mold to steamed rice. Steamed soybeans are then mashed, mixed in the rice koji with salt, and left to ferment and age.

What do you need to know about miso? ›

Miso paste is a fermented soy bean paste that's used a lot in Japanese cooking. It's made by fermenting steamed soy beans with salt, grains (usually rice or barley) and koji, a type of fungus. But don't let that put you off – it's a phenomenal way to add flavour to meat, fish and more.

How to tell if miso paste is bad? ›

When miso goes bad, its flavor also changes. It becomes more sour and astringent. If the taste has changed from when you purchased it, it is evidence that it has gone bad and you should stop eating it. To avoid food poisoning, do not eat miso that has a sour smell, sour taste, or mold growth.

How do I use miso paste? ›

Here are some of our favorite ways to use miso paste.
  1. Use in ramen broth. Miso is an important ingredient in many ramen recipes. ...
  2. Make miso butter. ...
  3. Add umami flavor to vegetarian soups and stews. ...
  4. Use in a pan sauce. ...
  5. Add to a stir-fry. ...
  6. Make marinades even more flavorful. ...
  7. Enhance a panko crust. ...
  8. Whisk into salad dressing.
Dec 15, 2020

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